a 


c 


The 

b 

of the 

Paris Covenant 


LEAGUE of 
NATIONS 



Published hy 

LEAGUE TO ENFORCE PEACE 
William Howard Taft, President 


Bush Terminal Sales Building 
130 West 42d Street 
New York 





mitted to arbitration or mediation, and 
until three months after the award or 
recommendation; and even then not go 
to war with a member of the League that 
complies with the award of the tribunal 
or with the unanimous recommendation 
of the Council or Assembly. 

CARRY OUT IN GOOD FAITH any 
awards that may be rendered whenever 
the parties to the dispute voluntarily 
agree to arbitrate. 

BOYCOTT ANY NATION that goes 
to war contrary to the covenants of the 
League, support one another in economic 
measures necessary to make the boycott 
effective, support one another in resisting 
any special measure aimed at one of their 
number by the offending state, and afford 
passage through their territory to the 
forces of League members operating 
against the offending nation. 

EXCHANGE INFORMATION con- 
cerning military and naval programs and 
industries adaptable to warlike purposes, 
and for stated periods not exceeding ten 
years, unless relieved of the obligation by 
the Council, observe limitations of arma¬ 
ment when voluntarily adopted by each 
of them on recommendation of the 
Council. 

SECURE FAIR AND HUMANE 
TREATMENT FOR LABOR, as far as 
practicable, at home and in all countries 
with which they trade. 

SECURE JUST TREATMENT, so 
far as possible, for native inhabitants of 
territories under their control. 

ENTRUST THE LEAGUE WITH 
SUPERVISION over the execution of 
international agreements providing for 
the suppression of the white slave traffic 
and the sale of dangerous drugs, and with 
the supervision of the trade in arms and 
ammunition in countries where the con¬ 
trol of this traffic is necessary in the 
common interest. 

MAINTAIN FREEDOM OF TRAN¬ 
SIT and equitable treatment for the com¬ 
merce of members. 


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COOPERATE IN MEASURES for 
the prevention and control of disease. 

ENCOURAGE AND PROMOTE OR¬ 
GANIZATION and work of the Red 
Cross. 

ESTABLISH INTERNATIONAL 
BUREAUS to administer such matters 
of common interest as may be agreed 
upon. 

ABROGATE all treaties and obliga¬ 
tions among themselves inconsistent with 
the Covenant and enter into no such 
obligations in the future. 

REGISTER ALL NEW TREATIES, 
which shall not be binding until so regis¬ 
tered. 

PAY A DUE SHARE of the expense 
of administering the affairs of the 
League. 

III. THE AGENCIES: The Covenant pro- 
vides the following agencies to advise 
and assist in carrying out these agree¬ 
ments— 

AN ASSEMBLY which shall repre¬ 
sent all member nations, determine by 
majority vote its own procedure, and 
meet at stated intervals and as occasion 
requires. Each member of the League 
may have three delegates but only one 
vote. The Assembly shall make its de¬ 
cisions by unanimous vote except as 
otherwise provided, and shall have power 
to— 


“DEAL WITH” (that is, discuss) 
ALL MATTERS within the sphere of 
action of the League, or affecting the 
peace of the world. 

ADVISE THE RECONSIDERA¬ 
TION OF TREATIES which have be¬ 
come inapplicable, or of international 
conditions dangerous to peace. 

SELECT THE FOUR NON-PER¬ 
MANENT MEMBERS to the Council, 
in succession to Belgium, Brazil, 
Greece, and Spain temporarily ap¬ 
pointed by vote of the Paris Confer¬ 
ence pending action by the Assembly. 

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ADMIT NEW MEMBERS to the 
League by two-thirds vote. 

INQUIRE INTO DISPUTES re¬ 
ferred to it by the Council or the par¬ 
ties to the dispute and by majority vote 
make recommendations, which, if con¬ 
curred in by the votes of all the States 
represented in the Council, exclusive 
in each case of the parties to the dis¬ 
pute, will protect from attack the States 
complying with them. 

A COUNCIL of nine which by ma¬ 
jority vote shall determine its own pro¬ 
cedure and meet at least once each year, 
each member having one vote as follows: 
representatives of the United States, 
Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan and 
of the following four nations designated 
by the Peace Conference to serve until 
the Assembly shall appoint their suc¬ 
cessors — Belgium, Brazil, Greece and 
Spain.* The Council shall have power, 
by unanimous vote, to— 

EXPEL A MEMBER that has vio¬ 
lated any covenant of the League.f 

FORMULATE PLANS for the re¬ 
duction of armaments for the consid¬ 
eration of the several governments, 
such plans to be subject to revision at 
least every ten years. 

ADVISE HOW THE EVILS at¬ 
tendant upon the manufacture by pri¬ 
vate enterprise of munitions and 
implements of war may be obviated. 

ADVISE UPON THE MEANS of 
preserving the territorial integrity and 
political independence of the members 
against external aggression, whether 
actual or threatened. 

PROPOSE WHAT SHALL BE 
DONE to give effect to the decision, if 
a state fails to carry out the award of 


* The Council may, by unanimous vote of its own 
members and a majority vote of the Assembly, in¬ 
crease its permanent membership. By similar proce¬ 
dure it may increase the number to be selected by the 
Assembly. 

t The vote of the covenant-breaking nation, if a 
member of the Council, would be ignored in deter¬ 
mining unanimity of action. 


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an arbitration by which it has agreed 
to abide. 

FORMULATE PLANS for an inter¬ 
national court. 

INQUIRE INTO DISPUTES not 
within the domestic jurisdiction of a 
State, and not submitted to the court 
or to arbitration or to the Assembly; 
endeavor to secure a settlement by 
mediation and, failing this, make a 
recommendation which, if unanimous, 
protects the state complying with it 
from attack. 

RECOMMEND WHAT MILITARY 
AND NAVAL FORCES shall be con¬ 
tributed by each member to protect the 
covenants of the League against a 
nation that resorts to war contrary 
thereto. 

INQUIRE INTO, AND OFFER 
FACILITIES FOR, the settlement of 
disputes with or between non-member 
states and, in case of refusal by the 
non-member state or states to accept 
such offer, make recommendations and, 
if necessary, take action to prevent 
hostilities and settle the dispute. 

FIX THE TERMS OF A MAN¬ 
DATE, by a nation willing to accept it, 
over any colony or territory formerly 
governed by Germany or Turkey, 
whenever this has not been previously 
agreed upon by the members of the 
League. 

APPOINT THE SECRETARY 
GENERAL, subject to confirmation by 
majority vote of the Assembly, and 
confirm his subordinates. 

APPOINT PERMANENT INTER¬ 
NATIONAL COMMISSIONS and 
control international bureaus. 

SUPERVISE THE EXECUTION 
OF AGREEMENTS to suppress the 
white slave trade and the traffic in 
dangerous drugs. 

A SECRETARY GENERAL, and his 

subordinates, chosen by the Council for 
administrative work. 


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AN INTERNATIONAL COURT to 

be established in accordance with plans 
worked out by the Council, with power 
to decide any dispute referred to it by 
the parties thereto, and to give an ad¬ 
visory opinion upon any matter referred 
to it by Council or Assembly. 

A MANDATARY COMMISSION to 

oversee and advise respecting the admin¬ 
istration of colonies and backward peo¬ 
ples formerly governed by Germany or 
Turkey. 

A PERMANENT COMMISSION to 

advise on military and naval questions. 

INTERNATIONAL BUREAUS for 

the regulation of matters of international 
interest; existing international bureaus 
such as the International Postal Union to 
come under the League’s direction when 
the parties to the treaties creating them 
so agree, and all international bureaus 
hereafter created to come automatically 
under the League’s direction. 

IV. GUIDING PRINCIPLES: The Cove¬ 
nant formulates the following prin¬ 
ciples for the guidance of League 
members and administrative agencies— 

THAT THE VALIDITY OF INTER¬ 
NATIONAL ENGAGEMENTS for the 
maintenance of peace such as the Monroe 
Doctrine and treaties of arbitration shall 
not be affected by the covenant. 

THAT WAR OR THREAT OF WAR 
anywhere is the concern of the League, 
since war, like fire, is liable to spread; 
and the members of the League may take 
action to safeguard the peace of nations. 

THAT MAKING WAR contrary to 
the covenants of the League shall be 
deemed an act of war on the part of the 
offending nation against all other mem¬ 
bers of the League. 

THAT MAINTENANCE OF PEACE 
requires reduction of armaments to the 
lowest point consistent with national 
safety and the enforcement of interna¬ 
tional obligations. 

THAT SUBMISSION OF ANY DIS¬ 
PUTE to mediation by the Council can 
be effected by either party thereto by 

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giving’ notice of its existence to the Sec¬ 
retary General. 

THAT EACH MEMBER OF THE 
LEAGUE shall have the right and re¬ 
sponsibility of calling the attention of 
the League to anything that threatens to 
disturb peace and good understanding 
among nations. 

THAT PUBLICATION OF THE 
FACTS OF ALL DISPUTES that 
threaten war and are not settled by arbi¬ 
tration shall be made, so far as expedient, 
whether or not unanimous recommenda¬ 
tion of an award is reached. 

THAT THE WELL-BEING AND 
DEVELOPMENT OF BACKWARD 
PEOPLES residing in colonies of the 
Central Empires, or in territories taken 
from them, is a sacred trust, and that 
they shall be administered by nations 
acting as agents or mandataries of the 
League: a principal consideration in the 
selection of such mandataries being the 
wishes of the peoples in the areas to be 
administered. 

THAT ALL POSITIONS in connec¬ 
tion with the League shall be open equally 
to men and women. 

V. THE LIMITATIONS: Things the Paris 

Covenant does NOT do. 

Does NOT create a super-government 
outranking those of member states or 
maintaining armies to over-awe them; 
but is a treaty in which the members 
pledge themselves to maintain a condition 
of international morality akin to that 
maintained by every civilized State 
within its own borders. 

Does NOT commit members to obliga¬ 
tions they cannot get out of. A nation 
may withdraw from membership on two 
years’ notice, if its international and 
League obligations have been fulfilled, 
just as a partner may withdraw from a 
partnership. 

Does NOT place the United States in 
a position where it can be coerced by the 
vote of other nations in the Council or 
the Assembly, as the power of these 
bodies is almost wholly advisory and even 
for this a unanimous vote is required on 
all vital matters. 


9 


Does NOT involve the calling out of 
American soldiers in case of local squab¬ 
bles in the Balkans or elsewhere. While 
members of the League are obliged to 
take part in a boycott against a nation 
that attacks another member contrary to 
the league covenant, they do not other¬ 
wise agree to join in making war. 

Does NOT place peace above justice, 
but provides for war as a last resort to 
restrain an aggressive nation and does 
not forbid war against a nation that re¬ 
fuses to accept the awards of League 
tribunals and in case of disputes where 
no decision can be reached by the Council 
or Assembly. 

Does NOT prevent the division or 
union of existing nations, but keeps open 
every means of effecting changes in na¬ 
tional boundaries except by external 
aggression. 

Does NOT affect the constitutional 
authority of Congress to declare war, al¬ 
though Congress will be morally bound 
by this treaty, as by every other. The 
Council can recommend war but only 
Congress can declare war. 

Does NOT destroy the Monroe Doc¬ 
trine. On the contrary, the Monroe 
Doctrine for the first time in history is 
expressly recognized by all the members 
of the League, and its principle extended 
to the world by means of the provision 
that the territorial integrity and political 
independence of all the members shall be 
preserved. 

Does NOT interfere in the domestic 
affairs of any nation. That also is ex¬ 
pressly provided against. The League 
does not concern itself with revolutions, 
rebellions, immigration, tariffs and other 
internal problems of its members. 

Does NOT exceed the treaty power 
under the Constitution. The United 
States has during its history entered into 
treaties involving all the powers affected 
by the covenant. 

VI. MEMBERSHIP: The Covenant pro¬ 
vides the following rules for member¬ 
ship in the League : 

CHARTER MEMBERSHIP is open 
to the following signatories to the Treaty 
of Peace: United States of America, 

10 


Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, British Empire, 
Canada, Australia, South Africa, New 
Zealand, India, China, Cuba, Czechoslo¬ 
vakia, Ecuador, France, Greece, Guate¬ 
mala, Haiti, Hedjaz, Honduras, Italy, 
Japan, Liberia, Nicaragua, Panama, 
Peru, Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Serbia, 
Siam, Uruguay; and to the following 
states which are invited to accede to the 
covenant: Argentine Republic, Chile, 
Colombia, Denmark, Netherlands, Nor¬ 
way, Paraguay, Persia, Salvador, Spain, 
Sweden, Switzerland, Venezuela. 

OTHER SELF-GOVERNING 
STATES, DOMINIONS OR COLONIES 
may be admitted to the League provided 
they give “effective guarantees” of sin¬ 
cerity and accept such regulations re¬ 
garding military and naval armaments as 
may be prescribed by the League. 

VII. LOCATION 

The seat of the League shall be at 
Geneva unless changed by the Council. 

VIII. APPROVAL, RATIFICATION AND 

AMENDMENT 

This Covenant in its original form was 
unanimously approved by representatives 
of fourteen nations at the Peace Confer¬ 
ence, was then referred to the peoples of 
the world for criticism and suggestion 
and revised in the light of this discussion. 
It includes all the material amendments 
requested by the people of the United 
States. In its final form, it is now re¬ 
ferred to the governments of the nations 
for adoption. When ratified, it can be 
amended by the unanimous vote of the 
nations represented in the Council and a 
majority of the nations represented in the 
Assembly. 

No amendment, however, shall bind 
any member of the League which sig¬ 
nifies its dissent therefrom, but in that 
case the dissenting state would cease to 
be a member of the League. 


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